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Snickertini. Peppermint Pattini. Starburst Martini. Almond Joy Martini. See this sexy woman right here? (my husband saw this photo and said, “cocktails? what cocktails?!”) This is Jessie Jane Lee, a very talented bartender who helped me mix, taste test some fantastic drink recipes for Halloween. Come read all about it and the get recipes on Steamy Kitchen on TLC!

I know there are certain foods that I really shouldn’t mess with, one of them being fried chicken. And after all these years of cooking, last week was the very first time that I made real buttermilk fried chicken without tinkering, gourmetizing or ethnic-tizin’ with funky ingredients like panko, garam masala, five spice or corn flakes. Just fried chicken straight …

It’s been an thrilling 24 hours, starting with a book signing at Barnes & Noble at 68th and Lexington in NYC – and seeing for the very very very first time, my cookbook in a bookstore. A real book, done by me. In a real bookstore. I saw. I cried. I took a photo. Of course, I’ve seen the book …

view at 6:30am, 35th floor at Westin Times Square Well, yesterday officially started Day 1 of the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook book tour with a 5-day stop in NYC! I’ve been to the city 5 times this year already, and I’m hoping that next time I’ll get some kind of frequent visitor perk, like maybe a personal navigator, as the public …

Hello friends! Please say hi to Rachael, who’ve I’ve been mentoring in the blog-world as a Steamy Kitchen intern. She’s a kick-ass gyoza ninja and I’ve asked her to write up her super-secret recipe for these savory pan-fried Japanese style dumplings. Rachael lived in Japan for a number of years and here’s her story and a step by step photo …

My husband, Scott, is a big French onion soup fan, ordering it whenever possible when we’re eating out. For me, though, the traditional French version is just a little too rich, too heavy for my tastes. All this time, I thought what Scott liked about the soup was its full-bodied, sweet beefy stock and the heady cognac. Because, that’s a …

Yesterday, we brought the kids to my friend Julie’s kids’ birthday party. Did ya get that? Too many apostrophes and plurals in that sentence. Anyways, the birthday party was held at Mixon Fruit Farms & Wildlife Refuge. The kids got to ride on the back of this big tortoise, who didn’t seem to mind at all. He just kept doin’ …

Feeling lazy? The Ultimate Breakfast Machine will deliver continental breakfast at the push of a button. Only problem — no bacon. These are meant for baking, but colorful dual-compartment squeezy bottles SCREAM ketchup + mustard. Two condiments, two bottles? So passe. Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to. Thought you knew what those tubers were all about? Think again. Hitchcock’s The Birds meets Guy’s Big …

I’m a big fan of Japanese artisan sake and wanted to post an article about sake and food pairing. But I’m not the expert, so when author, instructor and publisher of one of the most comprehensive websites about Japanese sake (SakeWorld.com), John Gauntner, offered to write a post, I practically did a back-flip! And then, to top it all off, …

This is my dining room. Which somehow turned into my office, bookshelf, the kids computer room (they were playing a game on Star Wars website) and place for placing miscellaneous doo-dads that you never want found again. The stacks and stacks of cookbooks are essential, while the specific titles on the table change week by week (depends on what I’m …

One of my favorite cooking shows of all time is the original Iron Chef. No, not the modern version that plays over and over on Food Network right now, but the one taped in Japan with the silly English dubbing that always cracks me up. The episode that I drooled most over was “Battle Matsutake.” Matsutake Tempura?! Oh hello lover! …

The world has gone bacon crazy, and unfortunately it has nothing to do with the food item actually made from pork belly. I’m talking about products sold in tubes, squeeze bottles, jars, cans and tablets, all flashing the word “Bacon!” as it’s only selling point and not an ounce of real pork in its ingredients. Apparently, that one word is …